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Friday, June 27, 2014

"Feed" And "Follow"

"Simon Peter said to them, 'I am going fishing....Jesus said to Simon Peter,...'Feed My lambs.... Tend My sheep....Feed My sheep....And when [Jesus] had spoken this, He said to [Peter], 'Follow Me.'"  (John 21)

"
Feed," and, "Follow," this is the command to us all.  The point in Jesus' dialogue with Peter is that if you love Me, you will feed my People.  Now this may seem as though it is for pastors, but there is a very real sense in which all Believers are called to, "Feed My sheep."  Every time a Follower of Jesus encounters one of His sheep we have the opportunity to "feed," to encourage and, "exhort with all long suffering." 
And the only way you and I can, "Feed My sheep," is to, "Follow Me," He Who Alone Is, "The Good Shepherd."  Feeding without following will always go awry. 

Peter was like most here.  The Lord returned from the dead and had appeared to some.  Some believed the reports; others did not.  It seems as though the Lord was playing kind of a hide and seek after the resurrection.  He would appear to Followers in what seemed to be surprising ways.  The two on the way to Emmaus did not recognize Him as He joined them and walked with them.  It was only in the breaking of bread that their eyes were opened.  The reality in our text is that Peter, even though Jesus had appeared already to Him after the Resurrection, seemed to be in a "what-do-I-do-now?" mode, "I am going fishing."  And it wasn't fishing for men.  What do most do when confronted with the unknown?  They revert to the known; it is the only natural thing to do. 

Can we say that this appearance of Jesus at the lake was Peter going to "another level?"  Notice the "simple" Words Jesus speaks to him.  First, "Do you love Me?"-- basically, "as much as you say?"  When Peter replied in the affirmative three times, Jesus then gives the command which saves us all, "Follow Me."  It is as though the Lord was saying to Peter, "No, Peter; you will not do this on your own.  'Follow Me,' and I will be in you.  I am your Strength, your Sustenance, your Guide."  It is a marvelous reality in our walk in Jesus.  We do not wonder alone in life, and we certainly do not serve alone.  We are Followers of Him Who said, "I am the light of the world He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." 


Father, in Jesus' Name,
"O, for grace to trust (and follow) You more!"  Amen.
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* I regularly update
our Blog Site--- New article today.  All have prophetic revelation.
* Sarah and I will be away
from June 28 to July 12.  We will probably have little access to the Internet. 


When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"

"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2

Thursday, June 26, 2014

"The Great Day of God"

"....He will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers...."  (Malachi 4:6)

Here we have the last verse of the Old Testament.  Could this be a "foreshadow" of the Redemption of the Cross of Jesus which would soon manifest in the earth?  And yet there is a twofold declaration in the passage, a promise and a judgment coming on the earth when the promise is rejected.

Huffington Post has been running AOL for some time now, so Post news items pop up regularly on my site.  I recently read an article in the Huffington Post which stated that 24% of children born in the Black Community in 1965 were born to unwed mothers.  Today it is 72%.  It is almost incomprehensible.  But it doesn't end with the Black Community.  Another article in the same magazine said that "the number of children living in single parent homes has nearly doubled since 1960, according to data from the 2010 Census.  The Washington Times analyzed the most recent census data, showing that the percentage of two-parent families has dropped significantly in all 50 states.  Even as the total number of American households with children increased by 160,00, the number of two-parent households decreased by 1.2 million.  Today, one third of American children -- a total of 15 million-- are being raised without a father.  Nearly five million more children live without a mother."  I really need not add anything to the above, do I?  Humanists can whitewash, indulge in political correctness, attempt to make the population feel okay about such things by their Godless rationales, but the facts are alarming to say the least. 

Yesterday marked 50 years Sarah and I have been married.  We talked some of what has changed.  We had no television for most of the first year, no cell phones who could show us who we were talking to, no computers, no ATM cards, just to name a few.  But as I look at the above stats, 24% in 1965 and 72% today, and "single parent homes... nearly doubled" since then, the other things I mentioned shrink into insignificance.  America has been in a steep decline over the last 50 years.  I can only pray and hope for the fulfillment of Malachi 4, "Behold, I will send you Elijah... before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers...."  Even so, Come, "great and dreadful day of the Lord....Even so, come, Lord Jesus."  

I will not attempt to "explain" or exegete the text.  I can only say that The Living Triune God, revealed in our Lord Jesus Christ, obviously places a premium on the relationship of father and children.  It is such that unless there is a, "turn...of the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, [He will] come and strike the earth with a curse."  Many politicians end speeches with, "May God bless the United States of America."  I say, Amen, but add, And may God have mercy on The United States of America and all nations where such statistics manifest.    

Father, in Jesus' Name, any more I need to know about this I pray You will show me.  But I pray for revival and restoration to turn America's declining families.  Amen.

When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"

"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

How Could I Miss This For Over 40 Years?!?

"This is the day that the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it."  (Ps. 118:24, KJV)

Now before you hit the "delete" button because you assume you know what I am going to say, try this:  Look at the context of our text, "The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstoneThis is from the Lord and is His doing; it is marvelous in our eyesThis is the day which the Lord has brought about; we will rejoice and be glad in it" (Amplified).  I never "saw" the connection before.  I was like everyone else who used to sing the song, "This Is The Day", back in the 70s.  I just assumed the verse was speaking of the day we were singing the song, you know, June 20, 1977 or December 17, 1983.  While it is true that the Lord Jesus Christ "makes" every day, I believe, "the day," referred to in our text is the day on which, "The stone which the builders rejected... bec]a]me the chief cornerstone."  It was, "the day which the Lord...brought about."

The dictionaries say that "the cornerstone (or foundation stone)...is...the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure."  Need I say more.  "All other stones will be set in reference to, 'the Chief Cornerstone,' [Who will determine] the position of the entire structure", The stone which the builders rejected." 

For you and me, however, "This...day that the Lord has made," the Day the Rejected Stone became, "the Chief Cornerstone," is, "the day," in which we rejoice.  Our salvation is in, "This...day."  All of history and humanity is aligned or rejected by its relation to, "the Chief Cornerstone."  The only reason you and I have any "alignment" which is in tune with God's is our "alignment" to and in Jesus. 

Father, in Jesus' Name, "This is the day," in which I rejoice, the day the Rejected Stone became,
"the Chief Cornerstone."  Amen.
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* I am going to DC tomorrow.
* Also, from June 28 to July 14 I may not be writing too much.  We will be in various types of locations and may not have access to Internet. 
* I will be preaching in the Renewed Strength Church meeting on June 29.
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"

"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2

Monday, June 23, 2014

"The Prime of Life"?

"So, remove grief and anger from your heart and put away pain (literally, "evil") from your body, because childhood and the prime of life are fleeting." (Ecclesiastes 11:10, NASB)

"Therefore remove [the lusts that end in] sorrow and vexation from your heart and mind and put away evil from your body, for youth and the dawn of life are vanity [transitory, idle, empty, and devoid of truth]." (Amplified Bible)


The writer is addressing youth in our text.  We can reverse the wording and say, "....Because childhood and the prime of life are fleeting....Put away evil away from your body...."  You and I both know of the, "evil," of youth.  Hopefully that is one of the reasons you saw a need for a Savior, Jesus.  Some of us were born of the Spirit at a very early age, others quite a bit later in life.  But sin has "dogged our feet" throughout the journey, "saved" or "unsaved."  And not only sin, but bad choices, mistakes, many of which were in the, "youth and dawn of life...."  We cannot change any of that; but we can deal with that, "evil," which led to and fed a life which was too many times and for periods which were longer than they needed to be, "transitory, idle, empty, and devoid of truth."  Every time anyone "take matters into my own hands," it is certainly, "empty."

Each day brings new opportunities to right wrongs, to repent and be converted, not the repentance which led to our New Birth, but a repentance which continues the Biblical process of sanctification, a life totally separated to Jesus Christ, separated from the ways, philosophy, and life style of the world, not, however, a life separated "out of" the world; you and I are commanded to, "Go into all the world...."  Living a lifestyle of repentance is living a life open to much needed course changes, adjustments, corrections.  It is a life which no matter how long lived continues to say and live, "Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me," i.e., "....that I...am...perfected."  This is our Father's, Son Jesus', and Holy Spirit's, "that for which Christ Jesus...laid hold of me."  This truth is the only Truth which will deliver you and me from the, "fleeting,..devoid of truth," life.  Walking in, "....But I press on," will keep us from a proud "I-have-arrived" attitude.  It will, "remove...sorrow and vexation from your heart and mind and put away evil from your body...."  

Father, in Jesus' Name, in light of Your Words, I can only say thank You for "staying" with me over these years, Faithful, Forgiving, Rebuking, Sustaining.  Amen.
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So there were no "weapons of mass destruction" in Iraq?!?  See Blog:  jhs58.blogspot.com
 
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"

"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2

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